Improvement in hubs for vehicle-wheels



W. T. SMITH & A. A. COX.

Hubs for Vehicle-Wheels.

N0 ]56953 I Patented Nov.17,18 74.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM T. SMITH AND ALSTON A. COX, OF LILESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.

IMPROVEMENT IN HUBS FOR VEHICLE-WHEELS.

Specification forming partof Letters Patent No. 156,953, dated November17, 1874; application filed October 10, 1874.

exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the artto which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, and to the let:

ters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

The nature of our invent-ion consists in the construction andarrangement of a wheel-hub for vehicles, as will be hereinafter morefully set forth.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of ourhub, and Fig. 2 is a side view of the same in reduced dimensions.

Our hub is cast in two parts, A and B, which are screwed from oppositeends upon the axle-box (J. The part A of thehub is pro vided upon itsinner face with a series of V- shaped projections, to, which form themortises b for the spokes to be inserted in the hub. The projections ado not extend to the central hole in the hub, but leave a space betweenit and their points for the admission of a tapering sleeve or band, d,which is slipped over the axle-boX G.

Accompanying each hub, when manufactured, will be several of thesetapering sleeves or bands cl, of different thickness, for driving underthe ends of the spokes when the wheel. becomes loose, and therebytightening it. The spoke-mortises b are made slightly tapering from sideto side, so that, when it becomes necessary to tighten the wheel, eachspoke is not only driven out toward the rim by the tapering sleeve orband d, but also thrown forward in order to make it tighter in the hub,when the front end B of the hub is screwed on again. The axle-box G, inthe center, or at that point covered by the sleeve d, has a smoothsurface without screw-threads, so that the action of screwing up thepart B forces the sleeve d forward to tighten the spokes.

In tightening a wheel in this manner the joints in the rim will have tobe strained open, and afterward filled again by any suitable means.

' We are aware that the tapering sleeve is not new, and that a threadedtapering sleeve has been used and we do not claim such devices; but

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- The axle-box 0, havingscrew-threads opposite the parts of the hub A B, and a smooth surface inthe middle, allowing the tapering sleeve 01 to slide, the part Bconstructed in a form to allow a wrench to be applied, all combined andconstructed as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we aflix oursignatures in presence of two witnesses.

ALSTON A. COX.

WILLIAM T. SMITH. Witnesses:

G. W. WILsoN, F. D. WILLIAMS.

